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History: Hamburg Twp., Marathon Co., Wis. (1913)

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----Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913, pg. 555 -  557.

----Township of Hamburg, Marathon Co., Wisconsin 1913 History

THE TOWN OF HAMBURG.

The town of Hamburg was set off from the town of Berlin February 10, 1876, to consist of township 30, ranges 3, 4 and 5. The first chairman and member of the county board was Carl Kleinschmidt. Hamburg was settled simultaneously with Berlin and Maine, but the settlers remained few and their number grew slowly. They were all German emigrants for a good many years, coming from Pomerania, in Germany, the same province from where nearly the whole German emigrants hailed.

When the fanners of the present town of Hamburg made application to the county board for a separate town organization, township 30, range 5, was well settled, but only two families were in range 4, township 30. Range 6, the present town of Berlin, was as well settled as it is today, but the farms were smaller, of course, although farms with sixty acres clearing were many. Fred. Sellin had been for many years town clerk of the old town of Berlin, and the suit against the Wisconsin Central Railroad to stop the issuing of the bonds to that road, was carried on in his name. Politically he was the most prominent man in the town for many years, and lived in the territory organized as the town of Hamburg and became the town clerk and the organizer of the new town.

The splendid white pine stood all through the hardwood forest of that town and furnished the logs which kept several mills running in this town for years, and there is a good supply of white pine standing in this township yet, although at this time the whole township is settled and big farms are on every section. The pioneers have nearly all gone to the long rest, but their children occupy and own the lands and fane farms which they helped to make. The saw mills existing in this town, built after 1880, have all quit operations and have been removed; still much timber from this town is supplied to keep the Sellin mill in operation, which lies in the town of Berlin at the boundary line between the two towns.

At Ziegler Postoffice, which is also on the same boundary line in the town of Berlin, being range line between ranges 6 and 5, there is in the town of Hamburg a cheese box factory, a feed mill, a lath and planing mill which is owned and operated by William Krinke; a tavern kept by Henry Huehnerfuss; a store by Bean; and a blacksmith and wagonmaker shop kept by Albert J. Bothner.

A good old road runs along the range line from the north county line as far south as the town of Emmett; at Ziegler's it is crossed by the Wausau and Athens road and quite a country business place has sprung up at the crossing of the road, being known in popular parlance as "Little Chicago." In the town of Berlin, at Little Chicago, there is the store of William Beilke carrying a large stock of general merchandise, and a shoemaker and harness shop conducted by Leo Brandt. A cheese factory is three-fourths of a mile east from Little Chicago in the town of Berlin, and another one mile west on the same road, where there is another store carried on by E. Helke. All together there are one creamery and four cheese factories in the town of Hamburg, and much cream is collected by the creamery in Athens. Four school districts each with one well ventilated modem schoolhouse take care of the education of a crop of healthy children. Four German Evangelical Lutheran churches, each with a substantial good church edifice, testify to the Christian character of the community. At least two of these congregations, and probably three, trace their beginning back to the Rev. J. J. Hoffman, who was the first resident pastor in the town of Berlin—which included Hamburg at that time—and to his successor Rev. William Hudtloff.

The St. Peter's congregation built their present large church in 1887. The trustees of this congregation are A. Hoff, A. Mueller, F. Zastrow, and Frank Marth. The present pastor of this congregation, Rev. A. Koepp, resides in the first parsonage built in the town of Berlin for Rev. J. J. Hoffman. He has several missions besides the St. Peter's congregation.

The German Evangelical Lutheran St. John's congregation built its present church in the year 1893; forty-three families belong to this congregation. The German Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul's congregation built their present edifice in 1895. The number of families which hold membership is twenty-six.

The German Evangelical Lutheran Salem's congregation built their church in 1896 and has thirty-eight members to constitute its membership. The last three mentioned congregations have been for the last ten years under the spiritual care of Rev. J. Fraund, who resides in the parsonage adjacent to the St. John's (Johannis') church. All these congregations have joint or separate parochial schools.